Apparatus for conveying slaughtered animals

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an apparatus for conveying slaughtered animals, in particular birds or parts of birds, which apparatus comprises a plurality of carriers for the animals, each of which carrier is connected via adjustable coupling means with a conveyor, and which travel a path passing at least one inspection or processing station, wherein during operation of the conveyor each carrier at a predetermined position in the conveyor&#39;s path is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis by means of adjusting the coupling means via at least one operating unit positioned along the path, and wherein along the conveyor&#39;s path there is at least one guide member provided which is capable, after the carrier is rotated to a predetermined position, of moving the animal suspended from the carrier such that it is diverted around the processing station. Each carrier possesses at least one arm extending substantially sideways, and in that the guide member is equipped to cooperate with the arm when, as a result of the carrier&#39;s rotation to the predetermined position, the arm is placed at right angles to the conveyor&#39;s path of travel.

[0001] The invention relates to an apparatus for conveying slaughteredanimals, in particular birds or parts of birds, which apparatuscomprises a plurality of carriers for the animals, each of which carrieris connected via adjustable coupling means with a conveyor, and whichtravel a path passing at least one inspection or processing station,wherein during operation of the conveyor each carrier at a predeterminedposition in the conveyor's path is rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis by means of adjusting the coupling means via at least oneoperating unit positioned along the path, and wherein along theconveyor's path there is at least one guide member provided which iscapable, after the carrier is rotated to a predetermined position, ofmoving the animal suspended from the carrier such that it is divertedaround the processing station.

[0002] Such an apparatus is disclosed in the international patentapplication WO 93/13671 (PCT/NL93/00016). A problem with the knownapparatus is that an animal which after inspection is found to beunsuitable for processing in the processing station, is brought outsidethe path of the conveyor and the processing station through contact withthe guide member. For hygienic reasons this direct contact between theguide member and the respective animal is undesirable.

[0003] Another problem is that in order to allow the animal tocircumvent the processing station, the carrier in the prior art iseccentric, which limits the speed with which the carrier with thesuspended animal can be rotated to the predetermined position forguiding the animal around the processing station. This speed limit isunfavourable and has a limiting effect regarding the conveyance speed ofthe slaughtered animals in the apparatus, resulting in an undesirablelimitation to the performance.

[0004] It is the particular object of the invention to embody theapparatus such as to solve these problems. An additional objective is toprovide further advantages which will be explained hereinbelow.

[0005] The apparatus according to the invention is characterized in thateach carrier possesses at least one arm extending substantiallysideways, and in that the guide member is equipped to cooperate with thearm when, as a result of the carrier's rotation to the predeterminedposition, the arm is placed at right angles to the conveyor's path oftravel. This is a very simple manner for providing a hygienic means toavoid that an animal is being processed in the processing station.

[0006] A further advantage of the invention is that the carrier for eachanimal may be carried out substantially rotation-symmetrically so that,if desired, the carrier can very quickly be rotated to the predeterminedposition so that the cooperation between the arm, which is attached tothe carrier, and the guide member, will cause the animal suspended fromthe carrier to be diverted around the processing station.

[0007] When such diversion is desired, the apparatus according to theinvention allows a control organ positioned along the path, to adjustthe coupling means of the carrier of the animal that is to be excludedsuch that the sideways extending arm connected to this carrier positionsat right angles to the conveyor's path. Conveniently, each carrier isprovided with two arms extending substantially sideways and in eachother's extended direction. In this way the number of adjustments to thecoupling means required to be carried out can be a limited.

[0008] A simple embodiment of the apparatus according to the inventionis characterized in that the arm guiding member is embodied as a barwhich begins and ends near the path travelled by each carrier, and whichbar between its two ends deflects away from this path of travel. In thismanner the path of the arm-guiding member causes the arm, and thecarrier coupled thereto, to be diverted outside the path of the conveyorto circumvent the processing station in the desired manner. Desirablythe arm or arms are curved, in order to allow said arm or arms toreadily follow the path of the arm-guiding member.

[0009] It is known that the carriers may be provided with hook-likereceiving means for the legs of the slaughtered animals. In thisembodiment it is desirable in a further aspect of the invention, thatthe receiving means of carriers suspended substantially vertically, onlyhave an opening which is directed upward. This prevents the animalfalling out of the carrier when the carrier is diverted around therespective processing station.

[0010] In yet another aspect of the invention, the apparatus is providedwith a guard member to prevent the coupling means from twisting, whichguard member is in operation during the advancement of the arm-guidingmember. The advantage with this is that if, due to the contact betweenarm and arm guiding member a twisting torque is exerted on the carrier,this will meet with resistance so that the animal will be conveyed pastthe processing station as desired.

[0011] The embodiment is known in which the coupling means aresubstantially rectangular with flat side edges. The guard member maythen be simply embodied as a guide rail which is mounted closely to thepath of a side edge of the coupling means in the vicinity of thearm-guiding member. Desirably the guide rail extends substantially atleast along the starting section of the arm-guiding member.

[0012] The invention will now be elucidated with reference to thedrawings, which

[0013] in the FIGS. 1 to 5, show a top view of the apparatus accordingto the invention in the vicinity of the arm-guiding member;

[0014] in the FIGS. 6A and 6B, show a view along the path of theconveyor near the beginning of the arm guiding member with an animalsuspended from the carrier, one is to be guided through the processingstation and one is to be diverted around the processing station,respectively; and

[0015] in the FIGS. 7 and 8 show a view along the path of the conveyorwith an animal suspended from the carrier, one has been guided throughthe processing station and one has been diverted around the processingstation, respectively.

[0016] Identical reference numbers in the Figures refer to similarparts.

[0017] With reference first to FIG. 1, a starting position is shown ofthree successive carriers 1, 2, and 3 with suspended slaughteredpoultry. Said carriers 1, 2 and 3 are to be guided past a processingstation (not shown) which is positioned in the path of travel generallyindicated with reference number 4. For example, it has been determinedby an inspection station that the poultry suspended from carrier 2 isnot to be guided through the processing station in the path 4, but is tobe diverted around it.

[0018]FIG. 2 illustrates that for this purpose the carrier 2 has toundergo an adjustment in the course of the conveyor's path of travel;this is completed in FIG. 3. Both the carrier 1 and the carrier 3 conveyan animal whose regular processing in the processing station has to takeplace at reference number 4. Consequently, said carriers 1 and 3 are notadjusted and proceed undisturbed.

[0019]FIGS. 4 and 5 show that the carriers 1 and 3 with the suspendedanimals are guided through the processing station at reference number 4while, as may be clearly seen in FIG. 5, the carrier 2 with thesuspended animal is at reference number 4 diverted around the processingstation.

[0020] With further reference now to the FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7 and 8, it isshown that each carrier 1, 2 and 3 is provided with a substantiallysideways extending arm 5. Also shown in these Figures is the guidemember 6, which can actually be seen more clearly in the FIGS. 1 to 5.This arm guiding member 6 is equipped to cooperate with the arm 5connected to each carrier 1, 2 and 3 for diverting an animal suspendedfrom the carrier 2 around the processing station 4. This is clearlyshown in FIG. 6B with regard to the beginning of the arm-guiding member6, and in FIG. 8, with regard to its middle portion. When the arm 5 andthe arm-guiding member 6 are to cooperate in this manner, the carrier 2is adjusted such that the arm 5 is placed at right angles in relation tothe path of the conveyor 7, as explained above with reference to FIGS. 1to 5. This is carried out in a manner totally familiar to the personskilled in the art requiring no further explanation, with the aid ofcoupling means 8, to which the carriers 1, 2, 3 are attached and bymeans of a control organ (not shown) for said coupling means 8,positioned along the path of travel. The FIGS. 6B and 8 further clearlyshow that each carrier is preferably provided with two such arms 5extending substantially sideways in each other's extended direction.

[0021] With reference again to the FIGS. 1 to 5, it is shown that thearm-guiding member 6 is embodied as a bar which begins and ends near thepath travelled by each carrier 1, 2, 3, and that this arm-guiding memberbetween its two ends deflects away from this path. The FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7and 8 further show that said arm-guiding member 6, is directedvertically upward at an angle, and in this connection, that the arms 5are curved. The latter-named Figures further show that the carriers 1,2, 3 are provided with the hook-like receiving means 9 for the legs ofthe slaughtered animals, with the receiving means 9 of carriers hangingsubstantially vertically, as shown in the FIGS. 6A, 6B and 7, onlyhaving an opening 10 which is directed upward. The result is that whenthe carrier 2 is adjusted sideways as shown in FIG. 8, the animalsuspended therefrom will not fall out of the carrier 2, which afterpassing the processing station 4 can be returned with the suspended birdto the path of the other carriers 1 and 3.

[0022] In the FIGS. 1 to 5 can be seen that the coupling means 8 areembodied substantially rectangular and are provided with flat sideedges. A further aspect of the invention is that a guard member 11 isused to prevent the coupling means 8 from twisting. This guard member isembodied as a guide rail 11 mounted closely along the side edge of thecoupling means 8, which side edge is directed sideways in relation tothe direction of conveyance. Said guide rail 11, one or two of which maybe present at either side of the path of the coupling means 8, extendsover a distance corresponding at least with the starting section of thearm guiding member 6.

1. An apparatus for conveying slaughtered animals, in particular birdsor parts of birds, which apparatus comprises a plurality of carriers forthe animals, each of which carrier is connected via adjustable couplingmeans with a conveyor, and which travel a path passing at least oneinspection or processing station, wherein during operation of theconveyor each carrier at a predetermined position in the conveyor's pathis rotatable about a substantially vertical axis by means of adjustingthe coupling means via at least one operating unit positioned along thepath, and wherein along the conveyor's path there is at least one guidemember provided which is capable, after the carrier is rotated to apredetermined position, of moving the animal suspended from the carriersuch that it is diverted around the processing station, characterized inthat each carrier possesses at least one arm extending substantiallysideways, and in that the guide member is equipped to cooperate with thearm when, as a result of the carrier's rotation to the predeterminedposition, the arm is placed at right angles to the conveyor's path oftravel.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that eachcarrier is provided with two arms extending substantially sideways andin each other's extended direction.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 1or 2, characterized in that the arm guiding member is embodied as a barwhich begins and ends near the path travelled by each carrier, and whichbar between its two ends deflects away from this path of travel.
 4. Anapparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the arm or armsare curved.
 5. An apparatus according to one of the preceding claims,wherein the carriers are provided with hook-like receiving means for thelegs of the slaughtered animals, characterized in that the receivingmeans of carriers suspended substantially vertically, only have anopening which is directed upward.
 6. An apparatus according to one ofthe preceding claims, characterized in that the apparatus is providedwith a guard member to prevent the coupling means from twisting, whichguard member is in operation during the advancement of the arm-guidingmember.
 7. An apparatus according to claim 6, in which the couplingmeans are substantially rectangular with flat side edges, characterizedin that the guard member is embodied as a guide rail which is mountedclosely to the path of a side edge of the coupling means in the vicinityof the arm-guiding member.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 7,characterized in that the guide rail extends substantially at leastalong the starting section of the arm-guiding member.